KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) have formed a joint task force to review standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the local council after a top official was charged with corruption.
MACC said today that the special task force, led by MACC investigations director Datuk Azam Baki, has identified five issues for review in DBKL: management of the privatisation of housing projects, guidelines on property purchases by officers and staff, asset ownership and declaration, management of public housing, as well as oversight of land development in the capital city.
“The formation of the Special Task Force is a joint effort taken after a few government officers were recently investigated for abuse of power and mismanagement,” MACC said in a statement.
“The Special Task Force comprises officers from MACC’s negotiation and checking division, MACC’s investigation division and DBKL’s integrity department,” the anti-graft agency added.
MACC also said the task force will make several recommendations to DBKL to strengthen officers’ and staff’s work practices, as well as City Hall’s systems and procedures.
DBKL project management executive director Datuk Seri Syed Afendy Syed Abid Ali claimed trial yesterday to 18 corruption charges, including accepting bribes and assets estimated at RM4.4 million.
The prosecution came after Bank Rakyat chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal was charged Wednesday with abetting the Islamic cooperative bank’s managing director, Datuk Mustafha Abd Razak, in criminal breach of trust of almost RM15 million.
Two senior civil servants attached to a government department and government-linked corporation in Malacca and Kelantan respectively were remanded last month for seven days in corruption investigations.
